Earlier this season I had a pair of wading boots with very good studded rubber soles but the uppers were about to give up. I also had another pair of boots with reasonably good uppers but one had lost the felt from the combination felt and rubber soles. I decided that it should be possible to make one good pair of boots out of the two. The challenge would be to find a suitable adhesive to glue the rubber soles to the uppers. I spent some time Googling adhesives to see what I could find. I was looking for a seriously heavy-duty and waterproof adhesive. Most of my searches pointed to various American products used on kayaks, inflatables of one sort or another and they were all quite expensive. I then started looking at various UK websites and those of UK adhesive manufacturers. I ended up on the Evo-Stik website where I discovered the somewhat inelegantly name Sticks Like Sh*t all-weather adhesive. It look as though it might be the answer. It is inexpensive, comes in a 290ml cartridge and is readily available. Before attempting to bond the soles, I stuffed the boots with newspaper so that I could bind the sole to the upper by wrapping it with string to apply some pressure while the adhesive cured. I decided that it would probably be easier to glues the soles in two goes. I made sure that the two parts to be joined together were clean and dry (apparently Sticks Like Sh*t will bond in the wet), applied the adhesive (with a caulking gun) to the sole and instep only and then brought the two together. I wrapped the boots tightly with string and left them overnight. The next day I fixed the rest of the sole. You can always add one or two stainless steel self-tapping screws, if the recipient boots have thick sole, just to make sure. If the soles are a bit bigger than those of the boots, it is a simple job to trim-off any surplus with a sharp Stanley or craft knife. Since then I have used the boots for a regular monthly kick-sampling session which is very hard on wading boots and the soles are still “hanging on” well. The uppers are now looking pretty second-hand and as soon as I find another pair of wading boots, probably with felt soles, I will use the rubber soles to replace them. Sticks Like Sh*t has, so far, worked far better than I could have hoped.

You are wise to add studs to rubber soles as not only can wet grass be very slippery but smooth rocks as well.

Best.

Terry Lawton

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Terry Lawton is a writer, author and a dedicated fly fisherman. He is secretary of the Bintry Mill Trout Fishery on the river Wensum in Norfolk, where, when not fishing, he can often be found up to his waist in the river.